Students develop their own techniques for drawing a small sample of solutions into a straw. They hypothesize ways to increase the density of water, and discuss how salt-free rainwater tends to float on top of salty seawater.

Students explore the topics of ocean water salinity, ocean life zones, marine life classification, and ocean food chains. They observe demonstrations, conduct experiments, complete quizzes and handouts, and analyze key vocabulary.

Students become more environmentally conscious. They see that it may be too late to "save" the Aral Sea, but there is still hope to prevent the ecological collapse of the Salton Sea.

Students work with three stations to demonstrate the properties of water. They explore water's boiling point, freezing point, and its ability to store heat.

Students investigate tides and the land submerged under them.  In this intertidal field trip, Students visit the intertidal zone and observe the habitats and animals that live there.  Students view the pools under rocks where...

Students examine relationships and interactions between different types of water. They experiment with colored water of different temperature and salinity and discuss how the results relate to real ocean currents.

Students examine how we use submersibles. In this technology based lesson, students examine various technologies used by submersibles in ocean exploration.

To better understand how solar power can aid in creating desalinated drinking water, the class creates a model still. They will build a model of a solar still, make observations, and discuss how the process works. While the idea behind...

Students identify producers and consumers from marine ecosystems and describe the balance among them in the environments. After constructing a food chain from a marine ecosystem, they examine human activities that can upset the balance...

Students investigate the water cycle by viewing an online video.  In this drinking water lesson, students create solar stills at their campus in order to purify water that is tainted.  Students view a video on their computers...

Students study the following: For centuries, people have been challenged by the mysteries that lie beneath the blue depths of our ocean planet. Very little was known about the ocean until late in the nineteenth century, although nearly...

Students comprehend the four parameters of water quality. They perform tests for salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH and clarity or turbidity. Students comprehend why scientists and environmental managers monitor water uality and aquatic...

Students identify and analyze the concept of density using the formula, density equals mass divided by volume. They review the differences in salinity levels of the ocean and note that the changes in density are caused by wind and...

Students examine how circulation currents of the ocean. They use a tub of hot and cold water to demonstrate the currents. They discover how salinity and temperature of water affect its movement.

Students investigate the environments of the Aral and Salton Seas. They use images taken from the space shuttle, the U2 spy planes, and remote sensing satellites to learn more about what is happening in each region. Students discuss the...

Students describe, compare, and contrast major forces that drive ocean currents. They discuss the general effects of topography on current velocity. They discuss how velocity affects the ability

Young scholars observe the effects of layering water and what is more or less saline than normal. In this geoscience lesson students create saline solutions, layer them and observe how the water becomes different temperatures in...

Seventh graders observe and test for the presence of carbon dioxide gas. They compare concentrations of carbon dioxide gas and conclude high concentrations of carbon dioxide gas are unhealthy for human beings.

Students examine the relationship between corals and zooxanthellae, identify stresses to corals, and explain coral bleaching.  In this sea life lesson students predict the effects of increased temperatures on coral reefs. 

Students use satellite data to explore sea surface temperature. They explore the relationship between the rotation of the Earth, the path of ocean current and air pressure centers. After studying maps of sea surface temperature and ocean...

Students test tap water for hardness and mineral content. For this environmental science lesson, students identify the different stages of the water cycle. They classify plant and animals according to the rules of taxonomy.

Students define the terms estuary and watershed. They conduct an experiment to determine the density differences between fresh and saltwater. They examine the salinity distribution of the Peconic Bay Estuary.

Students demonstrate how ocean currents are influenced by changes in density. They discover that temperature and salintiy affect density as well. They participate in a short experiment to end the lesson plan.

In this telemetry worksheet, students will read about how telemetry works and the different ways that scientist use telemetry to gather data. Students complete 2 short answer questions based on the reading.